Franchi

[Bucksnort1]

A number of years ago, I was on a dove hunt in Arizona. From an acquaintance, I bought a Franchi over-and-under, 20 gauge which I used on the first day of the hunt. I couldn't hit jack squat. Sorry but I can't give you the Franchi model number because I don't have the gun. During that first day, I patterned the gun and found the pattern to be very tight on both barrels.

That night, I bought a used 12 ga. pump for the remaining days of the trip. When I returned to Denver, I took the Franchi to the Colorado School of Trades (gun smithing school) and asked them to check the chokes. I don't recall all the details but they told me both barrels were full choke.

Does this make sense?

[TomADC]

20ga bored full & full, that would be a new one on me.

[jaguarxk120]

How did they determine the chokes?

By using a choke gage at the muzzles?

Or did they measure the bore diameters and the choke diameters, then calculate the amount of choke in each barrel.

Also how is are the barrels marked as to choke size's?

[FITASC]

Many guns are choked F/F; that allows the customer to have them opened to whatever the shooter prefers.

[TomADC]

Only shotguns I've seen full & full were 12ga. Trap guns and .410 SxS shotguns.
With screw in chokes why do this say the last 20 years or so?

[FITASC]

Because some folks do not like choke tubes, they have a gun made for a specific purpose, whether target or feather. Kreighoff recently came out with their new model called the Parcour. It was designed for Fitasc and comes with fixed M/IM chokes. Folks who use SxS guns for birds typically use IC/M for general use along with S/IC for NE grouse, or M/F for wild western pheasant, etc. (It therefore gives us another reason to tell the wife when we buy another shotgun).

[jaguarxk120]

Guns with fixed choke's handle differently than guns with choke tubes. The balance is different because of the thicker barrels. Fixed choke guns can be made lighter and will balance better in the field.

As FITASC has said the full choke's can be opened up for the owners needs. Many of the choke tube company's can open the F/F to any choke wanted.

One important thing, they can also adjust pattern impact so both barrels will be hitting the same spot at XX yards.

[TomADC]

So you guys are saying that a company like Franchi is making $1000 shotguns in Full & Full so the buyer can have the chokes tuned?
Maybe a Kreighoff or Perazzi but a $100 off the shelf gun? Apples and Oranges.

[FITASC]

It is actually easier (and therefore cheaper) to make the gun F/F than to thread for chokes; one less machining process.

Fixed barrels also have the possibility to be threaded for thin wall chokes ala Briley or similar

That Parcour I mentioned is almost a full pound lighter than the standard K-80 it is based on and the reduction came from using thinner barrels with fixed chokes. Have a friend who had Parcour barrels fitted to his K-80 and the handling difference is startling.

[TomADC]

Might be cheaper but why would you do it on inexpensive under a $1000 shotgun almost zero market for such a think. K-80 great shotguns I'm sure but really you want to compare them side by side with a Franchi or other shotguns under a grand?
I'm not trying to be argumentative but really how many 20 ga. O/U at around $1000 have you actually seen bored full & full? I've been around a lot of shotguns over the years but like I said zero 20 ga. O/U's.
Been great with the friendly back and forth BTW I always learn something new that way.

[FITASC]

Have seen a few and they were F/F because they were hunting guns designed for larger game at distance. I have a Turkish SxS - not a Huglu - that came fixed at .009 and .016 in 20 gauge which according to one chart makes it a tight IC and tight M (almost IM); for me that is just about perfect and I have no need for chokes. This gun was bought for about $1200.

[Arizona Fusilier]

My used Beretta was somebody's trap gun, I think. It was marked Improved Modified and Full; but my little choke checking guage strongly suggested it was more like Full and Extra full. It certainly hit birds like that. I was told that European standards for chokes tend to be a little tighter than American standards.

Got some Briley thin-walls in there now. No more spaghetti birds!

[olddrum1]

Does not surprise me. If buying a fixed choke gun its smart to measure the chokes. I have seen factory guns with one choke tube and one fixed choke. Winchester made several of these for Pigeon competition. Your likely to see any combination of chokes in a fixed choke guns.

[WIN71]

Several years ago I bought an old Parker 12 ga. two barrel set. The barrels were marked #1 and #2 so I think it was a factory set. One set of barrels is 30 inch choked full and modified with the normal modified-right barrel-front trigger. The #2 set is 26 inch also choked full and modified only the full choke is the right barrel front trigger. Just the opposite of normal double triggered double barrel guns.

I can only speculate the original owner must have used the #2 set on driven hunts or incoming waterfowl.
On doubles, both sxs and o/u prior to the screw in chokes you either took what was the normal combinations or with a tad more money you could order any combination you wanted.

Your full and full could have been for long range pass shooting or even turkey hunting.

I would have liked to know what my Parker set was intended for.